Christmas Eve 1958

Christmas was Mal’s favorite time of the year. Christmas trees needed to be taller than the ceiling. Decorations had to be everywhere. Dad loved to bring people into his home, so decorating for Christmas was a big deal. A trip to Marshall Fields was a regular highlight.

In 1958 Mal taped a special “Lucky Ladies” show from his family home in Wilmette. Instead of handing out silver dollars to fans in a supermarket, he talked to his mother (Dammy), Jo, and the kids about getting ready for Christmas. As you will hear, the show was entirely unscripted – no child actors reading rehearsed lines for Mal.

(This appears to have been recorded off a master tape, so there are a few seconds of dead air at the beginning.)